The Calm Before the Storm
by AdmiralChirko
Summary: After the death of Ajax, Merrick and the crew are dealt with his final wish - to help his three kids adjust to life without their father. When events start to spiral out of control, they will soon learn that things are not always what they seem. Will the Ghosts be able to stop a plot before it turns against them? M for language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

"Merrick, there's a message for you." Neptune came out of the command room, waving him into the room. Merrick raised his eye brow. It was probably another mission. Merrick did not mind this life style, but some days he wished he could get a day or two off. It hadn't even been a day after Ajax had died. Entering the room, he saw something that he never envisioned he would have to see.

_"Hey, Tom. If you're listening to this… we both know what that means. You were a good man, sir," _Merrick watched a slightly younger Ajax salute him_, "I have only one request of you. Back in the day, I made some… choices… three of them to be exact. Twin boys and a girl. Both moms are out of the picture. All these years, I've supported them as much as I could… but now… can you please help them take care of things? There's a box under my bed of letters. Could you give it to them? Thank you. It's been a good ride. I'll be haunting your ass." _

_It's been a while since Ajax had mentioned his kids, I almost forgot he had any_, Merrick thought, walking towards Ajax's now vacant room, _we all have our skeletons to hide. _Merrick walked into Ajax's room. Hesh, Logan and Kick were huddled around, collecting and packing up their fallen comrades supplies. The dynamic of the group had noticeably changed - they were all silent. Usually, someone would be filling the air with meaningless banter about one topic or another - but now was not the time. Even as stoic and hard as Merrick was, he couldn't help but get chocked up with the death of one of his own. Rorke would pay - the traitor would get what he deserved.

"Boys, we have one last mission." Merrick sauntered over to Ajax's packed and folded bed. Kneeling down, he searched for what he had been instructed to find - a box. Once it was for all eyes to see, Merrick wiped a fine layer of dust off into the air.

"Oh, so this is where he kept his porn stash. No wonder I could never find it." Hesh laughed, elbowing his younger brother. Neptune rolled his eyes, grabbing another article of clothing from his drawer.

"Ajax had 3 children," Merrick paused, looking over the trio, "he asked that we help his kids adjust and settle things down. They didn't know him well, so we need to do our best to help him with closure."

"How many are there?" Kick closed up the drawer, throwing the bag on the bed.

"Three." Merrick let out a sigh. It wasn't so much of the fact that he hated kids, it was more so they could be a nuisance. Ajax had given no indication of their ages. For Merrick, it had been enough to know he had these liabilities. This was either going to be very easy, or extremely difficult.

"So I guess we found his hobby," Hesh picked up the duffle bag Kick had thrown onto the bed and another smaller bag, "when do we leave?"

"As soon as we're done here," Merrick sat up, making sure not to handle the box too roughly, "load up the chopper with whatever will fit."  
>Merrick strutted out of the room, keep a composed demeanor. Command had allowed Merrick and the team six days to deal with the situation and then had to return to their post. Rorke and the Federation were both still very big threats. They could strike at any time. Hopefully, it would be after these six days. Merrick was well prepared – he would bring his gear just in case.<p>

Merrick entered into his own room, walking over to his desk. He took a seat. Upon his desk sat Ajax's mask. Taking it into his hands, he could feel the coarseness of it. It had been well worn… and well bloodied. Ajax's kids would want to have his mask. For some reason, Merrick had a sinking feeling about this whole situation. Six days wasn't a lot of time – but it would have to be enough.

The helicopter ride had been quite quiet. Hesh and Logan had tried to keep the group in fairly good spirits. Neptune and Kick laughed at most of their shenanigans, but Merrick remained stoic as ever. Not once did he put the precious box down. It was a three hour helicopter ride from where they were stationed. Once that was done, the group took a jeep to their destination. The drive alone took a good thirty minutes – Kick had gotten them lost. Once Neptune had gotten them back on track, they found themselves in a fairly unpopulated neighbourhood. The houses were a good distance a part. As they crept up the driveway, the house was fairly plain.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Kick put the car in park, turning it off.

"Yeah, 1783 Scotia Ave," Merrick exited out of the passenger's seat, "strange that it's a duplex, though."

Looking around, the property was quaint. The grass was well maintained save for a few weeds. Logan and Hesh walked up the stairs. They couldn't decide which door they should knock on. As they were about to knock on the left, the right door suddenly swung open. A teary eyed teenage girl came out onto the porch, a tablet in one hand and an earpiece in her right ear.

"Did the Feds kill him?" The girl scrutinized the group. None of them knew how to respond.

"I asked you a fucking question Merrick – did the Feds kill my father?" The girl took a step between the Walker boys, glaring at Merrick as a tear fell down her cheek.

"I'm so, so sorry," Hesh placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling her tremble, "we were friends of –"

"I know who you are, David." The girl ran back inside, slamming the door behind her.

The men looked at each other, eyeing each other with a look of questioning. How did that girl know who they were?

"I'm sorry about my sister," the left door opened to reveal a very skinny, brown haired and blue eyed boy, "she isn't a people person."

"I'm sorry about your father," Hesh opening up the screen door, shaking the young man's hand, "we were friends and were in his squad."

"Come in," the lanky man stepped back, allowing the group to enter, "my father talked highly of all of you." Logan made eye contact with the kid as he smiled.

"What's your name?" Neptune asked, taking in the fairly plain house. It was fairly outdated. With the spare technology, he felt very out of place.

"Gavin," He smiled, sitting on the white couch, "My brother Derek is out right now getting groceries. He should be back soon. Please, make yourselves at home."

"So, you said your father spoke of us?" Merrick sat in a chair opposite of the couch, leaning back.

"Yes," Gavin smiled broadly, "whenever we could talk, he would tell us about everything… even the time where Logan-"

"Your sister seems very agitated," Logan quickly changed the subject, "is she always like that?"

"Yeah, that's Lexi for you," the group collectively turned towards the door to see a muscular young man walk through the door, "don't worry she won't bother you. She stays in her half of the duplex."

"You must be Derek," Merrick stood up and followed him into the kitchen, "I'm assuming you've heard about your father?"

"Yeah," Derek sighed, dropping the two bags on the counter, "I haven't told Lexi yet."

"She already knows." Merrick leaned against the counter.

"Doesn't surprise me," Derek let out a laugh, grabbing a box of cookies and putting them into a cupboard, "she has always had her way with figuring out stuff. I've never understood how."

"Your father wanted me to give you guys something," Merrick gestured back towards the living room, "there's something for everyone."

"Thank you." Derek smiled, wiping away a stray tear.

The duo walked back towards the living room, seeing Gavin hugging onto Logan and crying.

"Oh yeah, my brother's gay…" Derek whispered to Merrick. He gave an understanding nod and sat down on the same chair, feeling the lukewarm fabric from his previous sitting. Looking at Logan, he could see the look of 'help me' written in his eyes. Merrick couldn't help but smirk.

"What did he leave us?" Merrick glanced over to see Lexi walk through the threshold, with a different tablet and headpiece in tow. When he imagined Ajax's kids, they had never been like this. Looking in Lexi's eyes, he could see the same fire Ajax once had.

"Hey, how are you doing? Oh, I'm fine, thanks." Gavin sniffled, releasing Logan from his grasp. Merrick could sense the flamboyant nature from his voice.

Lexi walked over to the table where Merrick had originally placed the box. She cast her tablet aside, locking it. Merrick, for the life of him, couldn't sense what she was feeling. Gavin was visibly upset and Derek was holding onto his dwindling composure. From what he had gathered, both boys were around 18 years of age with their sister being around 16. The group watched her grasp the top of the box and place it beside her on the table. From inside, they watched her pull out two letters.

"Gay-vin," she passed it to him on the couch, ignoring his glare, "Derek." She handed him his own letter.

"I guess he finally realized that you're too much of a shit to be his kid." Gavin smirked at his sister. Merrick could see the fear in Derek's eyes as the comment left Gavin's mouth.

"At least this little shit," she grabbed her tablet from the table and stood up, "has more balls than you ever will." Before anyone could do anything, Lexi had connected her tablet with the temple of Gavin's head. Merrick immediately grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from her brother.

"What the fuck Lexi?!" Derek sat beside his brother, grabbing a few tissues and placing them on a deep gash on his temple.

"Pretty boy needs to learn to shut his mouth." Lexi replied, gritting her teeth.

"You need to control you anger." Merrick pulled her out of the room. He couldn't believe it. It had been barley half an hour and they were at each other's throats. Looking down at Lexi, he saw a small smirk play across her face. To him, it seemed like this was not the first time she had done something like that. Just as he figured, this was going to be hell.

"Sir, you'll want to see this." A man tapped a few commands, bringing up a screen. The man in charge sauntered over, scrutinizing the screen.

YOU WILL PAY GABRIEL – AJ

"So the hacker didn't like what happened? Just wait AJ, you'll slip up and we'll find you. You'll make a great addition to our team." A sadistic smile bloomed across the man's face. Rorke had heard of this 'AJ' person before. AJ was a part of a collective of hackers known as STATIC. Neither he, the Federation nor their enemy knew who these individuals were. All that both sides knew was that these individuals could be trouble.

"I'm assuming you can't track where it came from?" he asked, pacing back and forth.

"No, sir."

"I want these individuals found and dealt with. Either they defect to us or they die – simple."


	2. Blackbird

**Hey everyone! Sorry i didn't update on monday. i try to update once a week but sometime it might be a day or two late. i have tomorrow off so i could take tonight to finish and post! I'm glad you're all enjoying the story! remember, i'm canadian - so somewords may be spelt wrong to you and they're right to me... or they're legitimately spelleld wrong - my baaaad :P Thanks for the reviews - i love them :D they always make me smile that someone took time to write them :) don't worry, action will pick up soon. i just need to set things up and then the ball will get rolling! be patient and you'll be rewarded! until next week :) 3**

Merrick dragged Lexi out the door and onto the porch. Surprising to him, she did not protest. Maybe she realized that Merrick was simply too strong for her… or she didn't want to start something.

"Explain to me why you did that. Now." Merrick slammed the door behind them, crossing his arms.

"He deserved it." Lexi remained straight faced.

Merrick stuck his hand into his pocket, grasping Ajax's mask and holding it out for Lexi to see.

"You don't deserve this," Merrick looked deep into her eyes, sensing no trace of instability of emotion, "but I feel like you need it the most." Merrick grabbed her hand and wrapped her fingers around it. He watched as she felt the worn fabric for herself.

"You're… giving me his mask…?" Lexi looked back into his eyes, questioning his decision.

"I knew your father well-"

"-but you don't know me," Lexi clenched the mask in her hand, "don't pull that crap with me. It may work on my brothers, but I'm not like them."

"Yeah, you're JUST like your father." Merrick leaned back against the door.

"All I have are his eyes," she gestured to her face, "otherwise, I'm just another little white girl."

"Merrick," Neptune came out from the house, interrupting the conversation, "I think he's going to need stitches."

Merrick glanced back towards Lexi, detecting a slight trace of a smirk. He could not understand how siblings could turn on one another like that. Even Logan and David – with their disputes – they never did this to one another.

Merrick let Lexi strut back inside the house. As Merrick walked by Neptune, he saw a look of '_what the hell_' spread across his face. Maybe she was going to apologize to him.

"Maybe your boyfriend will fix that for you," Merrick watched Lexi pick up her smashed tablet, "or is he too busy sucking someone else?"

"At least someone loves me… unlike you." Gavin held a gauze bandage to the side of his face.

"That's enough," Derek walked between the two, "both you two need to cool it."

Without a word, everyone watched as Lexi walked by the box and grabbed something from inside. Merrick scrutinized her movements. Something was not right about that girl – he would figure it out.

"Hey, if you need," Neptune laid a hand on her shoulder as she walked by, "I can help you repair it. I'm pretty good with that kind of stuff." Silently, the girl brushed the hand off of her shoulder and walked back outside.

"Derek, can you just stitch it up again? I don't want to have to go to the hospital twice in a month." Gavin stood up, walking over to the kitchen with Derek following in suit.

"Sir, permission to speak freely?" Hesh asked, making sure the two brothers could not overhear them.

"Go ahead."

"I never knew how fucked up Ajax's family would be." Hesh sat down in a chair, rubbing his neck.

Hesh had said it best. This family had issues. Merrick looked around at the bare walls – he couldn't even find the slightest trace of there ever being pictures hung at any time. It felt so sterile to him. Even back at base, there was substance to the room.

"OW! Fuck, watch it Derek." They collectively turned toward Gavin's pained cry. A few moments later, Gavin appeared in the room with a few crude stiches holding his tearing skin together.

"So," he started, standing next to Logan, "there's an extra room on our side of the house with two single beds you can sleep in… the rest of you can either find space around our side or sleep on Lexi's side."

"Hesh and Logan, you two can go and sleep on this side," Merrick glanced over at Logan, noting the look of terror in his eyes as Gavin smiled, "we'll room on the other side."

"Before you go over there," Derek paused, swallowing, "not trying to make a really bad joke… but she basically is a ghost. Sometimes I won't see her for days at a time. So, try not to worry."

"She hasn't turned up dead yet!" Gavin exclaimed, walking up the stairs to the bed rooms. Derek rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"Come on guys, I'll show you around." Derek started up the stairs, waiting for the Walker boys to follow. Giving a nod to Merrick, they went on their way.

Merrick led Kick and Neptune to the other side of the house. With a deep breath, Merrick entered. None of them could believe what they saw before their eyes. Adorned on the walls were hundreds of pictures. Some were of her and her father, some of her brothers… even some of them. The room looked classy. In the middle of the living room sat a glass table with two white couches surrounding it. The main wall had featured three different 50 inch monitors. This side of the house felt more alive.

"What?" The trio turned to see Lexi holding another tablet, tapping away.

"Would it be okay if the three of slept in the extra room here?" Neptune smiled, taking a step towards the stairs.

"I don't care what you do – as long as you don't bother me and don't touch my shit." Lexi disappeared back upstairs. The trio made their way up, walking down a hallway. They saw Lexi standing at the end of the hall, reading something off of her tablet.

"The password to enter is NML247. I like keeping things secure." Lexi punched in the code and turned the door handle, showing them in. They walked into the room, noticing the bunk bed and single bed opposite of it. It felt very out of place, but Merrick held his tongue. As he turned around, she had vanished. Derek was right – she _was_ a ghost.

"None of this makes any sense Merrick," Kick climbed onto the top bunk, "I want answers."

"We all do Kick," Merrick walked over, glancing out the small window, "I know this is a little unorthodox, but I want the both of you to find anything on Lexi. Any information on her or her brothers past will do." Merrick squinted, seeing faint movement out the window. It must have been an animal. Right behind their house was a small wooded area probably swarming with wild life.

Merrick walked out of the room and walked down the hall, trying to make his way to the kitchen. He stopped as he faced a door with a handprint identification pad. He raised an eye brow. This kid valued her privacy too much. Merrick made his way down to the kitchen, opening the fridge. All he could find was bottles of water and containers of chicken, cheese and some sort of undiscernible pasta concoction.

"Pizza will be here in twenty minutes." Merrick turned around to see Lexi, placing her tablet on the counter and pushing past him to get to the fridge, "I ordered three extra-large double cheese double jalapeño." She grabbed a water from the fridge, guzzling it down.

"What's with all the high tech crap going on with you? I know most teenagers are like this but… don't you think it's a little excessive?" Merrick was about to grab her tablet, but as soon as he did, she doused him with water.

"What the fuck did I say?" She swiped it off the counter, glaring at him.

"Cool it, kid." Merrick wiped some of the excess water off of himself.

"Don't call me a kid." Lexi turned and left the room.

Merrick shook his head. He kept forgetting the fact that she had just lost her father – the one thing that seemed to matter to her in her life… besides technology. Merrick paced back and forth in the kitchen, thinking of what to do. He was supposed to be the one who lead them… besides Elias, but he had to stay behind with Keegan in case anything happened. Merrick could get through to her… but how? She was quick tempered and smart. That was the one thing he couldn't grasp – how smart was she? Her brothers seemed average… but she didn't. From all of the security measures she had in her house, she was either paranoid or… or what…?

"Hey, who's at the door?" Kick and Neptune came down the stairs, looking at Merrick.

"Lexi ordered pizza." Merrick intoned, walking towards the door. He opened the door to see a tall, chubby looking teen. He must have been nineteen.

"Two extra-large double cheese and double jalapeños. 20$. "

"Hey Jordan," Merrick glanced over to see Lexi coming down the stairs, with cash in hand, "how's your birds doing?" Merrick grabbed the pizzas from him as Lexi handed him the money.

"Gurney has a black stripe now. I can't figure out how." He took the money.

"Maybe you're feeding her something wrong," Lexi shook his hand, "see yeah later. Same time next week, unless I'm feeling in the mood again soon."

Jordan shut the door behind him. Merrick walked the two boxes into the kitchen and placed them on the table. As soon as he did, Lexi grabbed one marked with 'BB; and started up to her room.

"Hey, the rest of the guys-" Neptune started.

"-are going to fend for themselves. This is my side, not theirs. They want food, they can make it." As quickly as she came, she disappeared back into her room.

"Well, I don't know about the two of you," Kick opened a box a took out a steaming piece, "I'm starving." The three comrades all dug into the pizza, savouring the flavours. On the base, you weren't treated to this kind of food. It was one of the best things they had had in a while. Once they had finished eating, the three of them went off and had fallen asleep in their room. When Merrick had finally opened his eyes, the sun was shining full force into the room. He couldn't believe how easily they had all fallen asleep. They must have been exhausted.

"Rise and shine boys," Merrick got out of his bed, quickly making it, "time to really get the ball going with these boys… and Lexi."

Kick and Neptune were still out like a light. They would wake up eventually. Merrick made his way down to the kitchen. He was craving a decent cup of coffee. Looking through the cabinets, he couldn't find anything. Merrick made his way into the other side of the house to procure a cup of coffee.

"Sir," Hesh came from the living room, scrutinizing his tablet, "we have an issue. Command has informed me that two Federation soldiers were found dead about thirty miles from our current location. There's also something strange."

"What is it?" Merrick walked over to Hesh, looking over his data pad.

"They had this carved into their corpses." Merrick looked it over. It was a simple lightning bolt over their skin.

"The two of us will go check it out. Have the rest stay on alert. If the Feds attack, we'll be ready. Keep the kids in the dark."

"Understood."

Within a few minutes, Merrick and Hesh were ready to go. As Merrick and him left, they could see Lexi get into a black pickup truck. Without a word, the two got into their vehicle and drove off. It took less than an hour to get to their destination. Upon arriving, they walked into an unsuspecting house. In the main room, there were two dead bodies being examined by U.S. soldiers.

"This doesn't seem right." One man remarked.

"How so?" Hesh asked, kneeling by the bodies.

"There were signs of a struggle, but it seems like it was rushed. I don't think the attackers were experienced. Then there's what's upstairs."

"What's upstairs?" Merrick asked, looking at the various men in the room.

"Follow me."

Merrick and Hesh walked up the stairs to see a room. It was trashed with computers and hard drives. There looked to be signs of a fire to burn some of the hardware. To Merrick, it seemed way too messy and unorganized to be on of their plots. This had to be the work of someone else.

"There's one more thing." The man who had led them upstairs remarked.

"What?" Hesh and Merrick said in unison.

The man led them into an adjacent room. Merrick and Hesh glanced at one another. Neither of them knew what it meant.

"Blackbird?"


	3. Mama Said Knock You Out

**_Hey everyone! I would have posted sooner, but i got(and still am) sick. I had a psychology anf biology test to deal with so tonight was free to write! woo! so last thursday was my b-day :D now i can finally buy the CoD games i love so much ;) if i'm not too busy, i might update twice this week (:O) so enjoy! I'm loving the reviews! keep 'em coming :) have an awesome one! enjoy :D p.s. sorry how i ended this chapter XD _**

"I think she has something to do with it." Merrick paced around the living room. After everything they had observed from the scene, he had grown exceedingly suspicious of her actions. Even though Derek had vouched for her elusiveness, she hadn't been home since yesterday morning. Hesh and Logan had driven around the area, hoping to see her. This action had caused Merrick's suspicions to rise substantially.

"Her brother did say this was normal." Neptune sipped back on a lukewarm cup of coffee. He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. Merrick and the rest of the Ghosts had noticed it. Merrick had assumed it was almost like a pact – Neptune had acknowledged her technological prowess. As he had served as mission control, he knew how fascinating technology was. For him, it had taken years to amass all of his technological information. It had been quite easy for him, but it had still had its ups and downs.

"She knows something," Merrick gazed at the picture of him and Ajax on the wall, "I don't know how or what she knows, but she's hiding something."

"What are we supposed to do interrogate a 16 year old?" Kick came into the room, holding a sandwich in one hand.

"We wouldn't 'interrogate' her," Logan started, "I'd use the term… 'in-depth conversation'…"

"Merrick, do you really think she killed those men?" Hesh glanced over to his superior.

"No… but I do think she could. Yes, she has here violent moments, but she's not careless. She knew where to hit her brother – it didn't knock him out, but it hurt. Lexi knows _how _and _where_ to hit. She'd make a hell of a killer if she was properly trained.

"That honestly scares me how you can say that so calmly Merrick." Neptune took another sip of coffee.

"He is right though," Kick took a bite out of his sandwich, "I think she'd make a hell of a Ghost when she's older – her father would agree with that."

"Her father would kill me if I ever let that happen." Merrick let out a chuckle, shaking his head.

"So, have you asked Derek or Gavin of her whereabouts…?" Kick took another bite out of his sandwich, dropping a piece of meat on the floor.

"No, slob," Hesh picked up the piece of meat, flinging it back at Kicks mouth, "it's too risky. We don't want them thinking she's in any sort of trouble. We still need to help them with their father's death."

"I don't think they'd really give a shit about her if she went missing." Neptune sat up, walking over to the window. A few moments later, the group heard the rumbling of a truck engine. Collectively, they all pressed their selves up against the glass. Lexi had finally arrived, now driving the black truck. Merrick wondered where the original owner was, but that would be a question for later. He noticed the outfit she was in – her hair was pulled back in a tight pony tail with black sunglasses. She wore a black leather jacket with black combat pants and matching combat boots. She looked like someone out of cadets. Slung across her chest was a messenger bag, looking like it was about to burst. He couldn't help but notice the glove she wore on her right hand… and her slight limp. Merrick and the Ghosts went away from the window and stood around the door. As it opened, Lexi didn't even stop for them. Merrick grabbed her shoulder as she walked by him.

"We need to talk." Merrick gripped her shoulder firmly.

"It can wait." Lexi tried to walk away, but Merrick pulled her to the couch, gently pushing her into a sitting position. For a few moments, the room was silent – all you could hear was the humming from the kitchen fridge. Merrick scrutinized her subtle movements. He could tell she was uncomfortable.

"Where were you yesterday?" Merrick crossed his arms over his chest.

"I was here and I went out with friends."

"Blackbird – what does it mean to you?

"My friend, the pizza boy, his bird developed a weird black spot on his wing." Merrick watched her as she spoke each word – it seemed too rehearsed.

"Okay, what about 'BB' on the pizza?"

"It means 'Brian's Batch'. He makes a special crust for me because I can't stand the normal crust. Calm your shit – why are you questioning me? You think I had something to do with those two Federation soldiers being killed?" Lexi tossed her gloved hand aside in annoyance.

"How would you know about that?" Merrick caught her hand, feeling her wince.

"Ow! Fuck, release my hand!" She tried to pry his hand off hers with her left hand.

"What's this?" Merrick looked down at her left hand seeing a lightning bolt tattoo on the bottom inner side of her thumb… the same one that had been left on the bodies.

"It's a tattoo." Merrick could sense the hesitation in her voice.

"The same design was found on those two Federation bodies." Hesh piped in, walking behind Lexi.

"Coincidence." Lexi tried to sit up, but Hesh placed his hands on her shoulders, not letting her leave her current position.

"What's with your hand?" Merrick let her gloved hand go.

"I got another tattoo yesterday." Lexi carefully took off the glove to reveal her swollen knuckles.

" 'Momma Said Knock You Out'. How classy." Hesh smirked, grunting.

"It's a long story – just like the lightning bolt one – but I had no dealings with those two Feds deaths."

"Then how do you know about it?" Neptune sidled beside Merrick, glaring at her.

"I… have connections…"

"What's with the limp?"

"I… had an altercation," Merrick handed back to Lexi her glove, watching her sheath her tender hand, "but I dealt with it."

"What happened?" Merrick got down to her level, looking into her eyes. The sunglasses blocked him from seeing into her eyes.

"Nothing."

"Damn it, look me in the eye!" Merrick ripped the sunglasses off of her face… and his eyes widened in shock. Lexi's left eye was discoloured a purple hue. It had swollen up, causing her eye to become hidden under the skin. Along her brow, Merrick could make out faint cuts that had been hastily stitched. Merrick looked into Lexi's eyes – he could see they were watering, but she did not flinch.

"Lexi… who did this to you?" Merrick lowered his tone of voice.

"Sometimes, you think you know a person… but you really don't. Sometimes, you need to walk away… but you can't." Merrick could hear her voice crack. She was trying to be strong.

"Please, Lexi," Hesh rounded the couch and sat next to her, "we can help you."

"Guys, I know you mean well," Lexi started, taking in a deep breath, "but I have to deal with this myself. Please, I don't want to get people involved." This time, Merrick let Lexi stand up. He handed her back her sunglasses, watching her put them back on, wincing, and making her way, slowly, up to her room. What really threw Merrick for a loop was the fact that Lexi did not have an earpiece on her ear or a tablet in her hand. Something had happened – something he would find out.

"Hesh, what have you found out about Lexi from Keegan?" Merrick listened closely, making sure she was out of ear shot.

"Well," Hesh pulled out a PDA, tapped a few buttons, "Lexi Gertrude Johnson was born to a woman by the name of Heidi Weinberg. Four years ago, Heidi committed suicide. Part of her suicide note contained the following:

_"…__Mama Said Knock You Out. Lexi, mama knocked herself out. You were the one thing that I thought was perfect in my life – but it wasn't. You were just like the rest. You hated me. I'm sorry, Lexi. I tried my best. I was a fuck up – don't be like me. Be like your father._

"Lexi was the first to find her mother's body with a GSW to the head. After that, Lexi's behaviour became more and more secretive. She was a suspect in an arson that caused the death of seventeen Federation soldiers and three research civilians, but it was dismissed due to insufficient evidence. Other than that, you can't find much. She's a highly intelligent girl in school. The teachers have a hard time dealing with her because she understands too well. She maintains a 96.73 average across her academics. She was involved in a fight with another student, but she was defending a weaker student from getting attacked. She inflicted a broken jaw and three cracked ribs on the kid.

"She used to work at the local computer shop, but quit just over a year ago. Besides the two tattoos seen, she has three or four more." Hesh looked up at the group, putting away the PDA.

"Well, shit. No wonder she's so reclusive." Neptune ran his hand through his hair, exhaling deeply.

"I know she's very confrontational, but no one deserves to get beat up like she did.' Kick finished off his sandwich.

"Contact Keegan and see if he can find out anything else. Maybe Ajax has had something between their correspondence." Merrick walked over to the window, furrowing his brow.

"So, what's the next move, sir?" Neptune walked over beside him.

"I want Neptune and Kick to talk with Derek and get him settled. Logan and Hesh, talk with Gavin," Merrick saw the slight alarm in Logan's eyes, "and I'm going to talk to Lexi. We only have three more days here, boys – make 'em count."

Everyone nodded. Merrick watched the rest of his squad exit to the other side of the house. He wanted nothing more than these three final days to go by fast. He wanted to resolve these issues and then get back onto the missions. The Federation on this side of the wall meant trouble. Command had been alerted and it would only be a matter of time before they would get deployed. No matter what, Merrick wouldn't leave here without keeping his promise – he would help Ajax's kids.

Slowly, he made his way up the stairs. As he was about to step onto the landing, he froze in his tracks. Faintly, he could hear Lexi… crying. Moving very slowly, he could see a door open down the hall. The door was cracked open just enough to fit a foot through it. Merrick did his best not to make any swift movements. His training made this quite easy. After a few moments, he sat with his back towards the wall to prevent Lexi from seeing him. Peering in, he could see half of her body. It looked as though it had been Ajax's room. Merrick could make out a few medals and combat paraphernalia scattered throughout. He could see she was looking at something, but he couldn't tell what it was. She was trembling. He sunk back out of sight, considering his options. Suddenly, he heard the door swing open and something fly out into the hall, crashing against the wall with the sound of shattering glass. From what Merrick could see, it looked like a picture of Rorke and Ajax, standing together… smiling. It was a fairly old picture. It looked as though it had been taken the day Ajax had joined the Ghosts. Lexi knew that Rorke was responsible for her father's death… but how? She would not have access to that information. What source could she possibly have? As Merrick pondered this, he listened closely as she began to speak.


	4. Boys Have Feelings Too

_**Well hello! Sorry for such a late update. I've had sooooo many tests bacj to back and Christmas has been so insane. I'm sorry for this chapter - it sets some stuff up, but it's not action packed sorry guys! I'm working on the next chapter after this rn and i;m going omg because of everything that i packed into it. The next two chapters are going to be more actiony and 'omg' and then sheeeeet is going down. I hope you guys can bare through the wait for updates! Loveing all the support and the reviews! Every review makes me smile and makes me want to write even more! See you guys really soon! Sorry for the shortness of this chapter! **_

"So what did my dad do?" Derek asked Neptune and Kick as he washed his hands in the sink.

"He was an elite soldier – one of the best." Kick leaned against the fridge, looking gazing over the plain kitchen. He much preferred Lexi's side of the house.

"I know I didn't get that from him," Derek shut off the water and looked into Neptune's eyes, "I work out in construction. Once I finished high school, I started working right away. Dad didn't want me following the same path he did… I can see why.."

An uncomfortable silence settled over the group as Derek trailed off. Neptune and Kick looked at one another, not wanting to escalate the situation.

"What was in the note your father sent you?" Neptune broke the silence.

Neptune and Kick watched as Derek took in a deep breath, his hand trembling. The look Kick gave Neptune said it all: _You fucked up. _

"Do you know Latin?" Derek walked into the living room, sitting down onto the couch. Neptune and Kick sat on two chairs – worn past their worth – and leaned in.

"A few words, but not much." Kick replied, relaxing in his chair.

"Magnum operae tria essentialia sunt consequi : industria, ut- itiveness lignum et sensus. Any idea what that means?" Neptune glanced at Kick.

"I'm assuming you do."

"My father used to say this to me, when I was a kid. He included it in his letter," slowly, Neptune and Kick watched Derek pull the crumpled letter out of his pocket, unfolding it with care.

"You know, it's personal. You don't have to read it to us." Neptune gently spoke, noticing Derek was already tearing up."

"I need to," Derek took in a deep breath, starting to read, _"Magnum operae tria essentialia sunt consequi : industria, ut- itiveness lignum et sensus._ When you were a kid, this probably sounded like gibberish to you. Hell, it probably still sounds like gibberish to you. In English, it means: The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are: Hard work, Stick-to-itiveness, and Common sense. I'm proud that you never followed my path. Serving your country is an amazing achievement, but I wouldn't want you or your brother getting into that lifestyle. I couldn't let my sons die like that. Derek, keep working hard. I respect that you can work so hard. Don't let anything get in the way of that. Make sure your brother is taken care of – I know how much of a handful he can be. I'll always be watching over you – Dad."

"Wow," Neptune stood up and walked over to Derek, placing his hand on his shoulder, "Your dad was a great man. He never told us about you… but I can tell you're like him in a lot of ways."

"So… where do I go from here…?" Derek asked as Neptune sat beside him.

"Well, nothing has to change. I know your father is gone, but he isn't gone from your thoughts and in your heart."

"The one thing I never understood was why he never wanted me or my brother to serve our country. He risked his life – why can't we do the same thing?"

"He didn't want to lose you. Either of you."

"Still… I'm happy that I chose not to, but I feel bad that he risked his life like that."

"That was your father," Kick stood up, shaking his head, "when I first met him, I thought that he was a pain in the ass. Once I got over that, he was an amazing soldier and a friend."

"Do you think he really was proud of me?"

"Yes. You're a good man from what I've seen Derek."

"Thank you." Neptune smiled at Derek, accepting the hug Derek gave him. Both Kick and Neptune felt as though they had done well… until he started to hear Derek softly crying. Neptune simply patted him on the back.

"Derek, it'll take time to heal, but you'll get through it. You have us."

"I know it's just… he's all I had yeah know? I'm supposed to watch out for Gavin. After mom left… I looked up to dad for guidance. When he was there, which wasn't too often, he always had my back. Always. Now… it feels like no one has mine."

"We have your back." Kick went over to pick up the box of tissues, handing it to Derek to wipe away his budding tears. Neither of them could have imagined that this would ever have happened. Derek seemed to be the rock of this family. This… boy didn't seem the type to cry over anything.

"Thank you… for everything." Derek stood up, taking a deep breath.

"If you need anything, we're here for another day.

Derek smiled, walking out of the room and into the kitchen.

"Something's not right." Kick sat next to Neptune, speaking in a hushed tone.

"There's a lot of shit that's not right – care to elaborate?" Neptune glanced back to the kitchen.

"'I couldn't let my sons die like that.' He didn't mention anything about Lexi."

"Maybe he wrote the letter before she was born?"

"Maybe… but she's not that much younger than them. It just doesn't make sense. What the hell are we missing?"

"Ah shit," Neptune breathed out deeply, "we should have asked Derek if he knew anything about who attacked her."

"Right," Kick nodded," I wonder how Logan and Hesh are doing."

"Oh Logan," Logan stood rigid as Gavin draped his sobbing body around him, "I just don't know what to do with myself."

"Well," Logan tried to wiggle away from his grasp, "for starters, take a deep breath and calm down."

"Gavin, sit down – you're crushing my brother." Hesh leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. Logan and Hesh had found Gavin bawling in his room while reading a letter. Once he had seen them, he had grabbed onto Logan and had not wanted to let go.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Gavin finally let go, dramatically falling onto his bed, "I just… I don't know how I'm supposed to go on."

"Well, your father would have wanted you to be happy. It'll be tough, but you'll eventually come to terms with it." Hesh said, his tone direct yet soft.

"You know what he said in the letter he left me?"

"What?" Logan went and sat in the arm chair – as far as possible from Gavin.

"… Gavin, you're not how I envisioned my son. Although I never envisioned you how you are today, I still love you and accept you. You'll make a boy very happy someday…"

"So… he cares much about you. You're his son."

"I never thought he'd be happy with how I am though," Logan looked at Hesh as Gavin spoke, "he admired my brother for being so much like him."

"You shouldn't measure yourself to your brother," Logan piped in, still looking at Hesh, "you're both different people."

"I know," Gavin got off the bed and walked over to the window, pouting, "but he has it all."

"Logan's right," Hesh started walking over to Gavin, "trying to live up and be like your big brother is a waste. You're your own person – be them."

"What would my dad want me to do now?" Gavin looked into Hesh's eyes.

"Once again, he'd want you to be happy."

"Well… I asked a guy out… but he hasn't got back to me yet." Gavin sniffled, wiping his tears away on his sleeve.

"That's a good start." Logan relaxed in his chair, elated at the news that Gavin would stop being so attached to him. There was no way that Logan would ever be interested in him like **that**.

"But I haven't heard back from him yet. Oh he's so sweet and caring. I never thought that I'd meet a man like him." Gavin sighed, smiling.

"Before we get too off track, if it's not too much to ask Gavin, do you know where your sister was last night?" Logan asked, standing up.

"No. I didn't even know she was out. Why? Is she missing?"

"No, she's in her room."

"Then there's nothing to worry about. She'll always manage to find her way back… most likely alive, but sometimes I wonder…" Gavin trailed off, peering more intently out the window.

"What? What is it?" Hesh peered out the window as well.

"It's him! It's Marco!" Gavin bounded out of his room while Hesh and Logan stayed behind.

"Well… that was surprisingly easy."

"Too easy." Hesh watched as Gavin and Marco hugged each other passionately whilst sharing a kiss. At that moment, Hesh looked away, giving them privacy.

"Hesh… I know that look. What is it?" Logan looked at his brother, scrutinizing him.

"Marco looks so fucking familiar… I just can't put my finger on it." Hesh shook his head and furrowed his brow.


	5. Loose Lips Sink Ships

_**(well what is up people? :D long time no write. I'm sorry. I've been so busy with school and exams, but now it's calmed down. Precal has my hands kinda tied, but i can do this. Basically, as long as i pass, i'm accepted to university. So, i'm sorry this is so short1 i'm trying to work on the MW story too! Love you all for reading and review! seriosuly, reviews make my day :3)**_

"Where do I even begin," Merrick listening closely, "shit has been going down ever since you left. Even before then, when we talked last month, I didn't even tell you the extent of the shit I got myself into… and what's been happening.

_So they were in contact for a while. I never even guessed he would have contacted them – I never authorized it from base. He knew that it could have compromised our whole operation… what the hell was so important it was worth putting the whole team in jeopardy?"_

"Firstly… fuck – I miss you. God damn it's driving me mad that I can't talk to you. Dad… I love you. You're the only thing in my life that was constant. You kept me going. Derek and Gavin are fucking jerks and dumbasses. Your team hasn't yet seen that side to them yet.

_What is she getting at?_

"The other night… Derek got drunk again and hit me. His drinking is getting out of control ever since you died. I tried to confront him about it the other night… but all he did was knock me out. I woke up to him dragging me across the floor. I escaped but… he gave me a black eye and a bunch of cuts. When Merrick asked what happened… I didn't tell him… I couldn't. They have enough to worry about without them needing to subdue Derek. I still can't believe he cut me with the shiv he made from the vodka bottle. The bleeding finally stopped today. Now there's a bloody scar across my chest almost down to my ribs."

_Holy shit… I never imagined Derek had that much of a problem. Poor Lexi…_

"Then fucking Gavin… he is in love with Logan. I feel awful for the poor guy. But now, Gavin is a dumbass. He's dating a fucking Fed soldier. I found out last night. He asked him out the day he found out you died. I guess he was trying to fill a void or some shit. The fact of the matter is, 'Marco' as he calls himself is a liability. If Gavin tells him who you were or anything… then again, I don't think dumb and dumber even know who you really were… unless the other Ghosts have said otherwise.

_If I don't deal with Gavin's new boyfriend… something tells me that Lexi will take this into her own hands… but I can't just accuse him of that. I need proof. _

"Fucking Feds… it's getting bad dad. The other night… two of them killed Oz. He wanted to show me something – as well as get me away from Derek - and as soon as we got there… two Feds attacked us. Oz protected me… and they killed him. They almost killed me too… but I managed to kill them and get away. I had to trash all of Blackbird and I buried Oz in the woods. They're getting too close. With the information you left for me, I've discovered what Rorke is doing. It's much more sinister than I ever imagined.

_Woah… what. I knew she was connected to this somehow._

"Dad… I'm… I'm honestly really fucking scared. There used to be seven of us in STATIC but now… there's only me. They're coming for me. Even with the fucking Ghosts here… I don't feel safe. I could never ask for their protection anyhow. They'd want to know why… and I couldn't tell them. I'd only make them bigger targets than they already are. This is going to be the last time I can talk to you for a while. I might have to go underground for a while. With the Feds this close to me… I can't take any chances. Hopefully Merrick and the rest will leave before the Federation forces my hand. I love you dad. I hope I can make you proud. Hopefully, you won't be seeing me soon… but with how things are going… I can't say for sure. Until next time. Godspeed."

Merrick sat in the hallway… unable to comprehend what Lexi had just divulged t him, unknowingly. A million different questions flowed through his mind. STATIC? He had never heard of such a force… and Blackbird? What was that? There was two things he could do at this moment. He could confront her, or he could escape without being noticed and simply watch over her. He needed to act fast. As he was about to move, he heard her starting to cry uncontrollably. He knew what he had to do. Slowly, he stood up. Without a sound, he opened the door and took a few steps into Ajax's old room. It was simple – just like Ajax liked. There was a single bed made in the corner with his desk adjacent to it. Merrick could make out a picture of him and the other Ghosts clad in their armor and weaponry. Lexi sat in the middle of the room clutching a USB drive in her right hand and a match in the other. Merrick watched as she dropped it into a small, metal container and lit the match, setting it ablaze.

"I'll make them pay…"

Now was his chance.

"Make who pay?" Merrick intoned, watching as Lexi whipped her head around to see Merrick.

"I thought everyone had left." Merrick could see her trembling.

"I was going to the bathroom and I smelled a fire. Care to explain who's paying and what you're burning?" Merrick crossed his arms over his chest, looking deep into her bloodshot and still blackened eyes.

"The bastards who killed my father and just some bad memories." Lexi grabbed the pail and blew into it, extinguishing the flames.

"Lexi… what really happened to you? I know you're a hard headed girl but even you need to know when you're in over your head."

"Who said I didn't know I was in over my head?" Lexi looked over at Merrick and stood up, still holding the pail.

"Why are you being like this?" Merrick put his hands on her shoulders, getting close to her face.

"Because I have no other choice, okay?! Fuck, Merrick… you wouldn't understand." She looked away from his eyes.

"Lexi, I know you know the shit me and your father went through. I of all people would understand – just try me."

For a moment, Merrick could tell there was a change in Lexi's behaviour. She was thinking hard and deep about something. Maybe she was about to tell him the truth… but that would have been too easy.

"I've pissed off some people who will very easily retaliate by any means possible. That's all I can tell you."

"What did you do?"

"Wrong place at the wrong time. I did some things that… in hind sight, I'm slightly proud of, but it shouldn't have even been an option."

"Does this have anything to do with the Federation?"

Merrick could see the flicker of panic in Lexi's eyes. It was so brief and so sudden that Merrick didn't even really know if he actually saw it. His eyes followed her every movement. Slowly, she moved across the room and sat on the bed.

"Merrick, everything has to do with the Federation these days."

"You're avoiding the question."

"Am I?" She looked up at him. Merrick narrowed his eyes in response.

"If you're in trouble with the Federation, tell me. You know what the Ghosts are capable of."

"Even if you knew the extent of what's going on, even the Ghosts couldn't handle this."

Merrick pondered these words for a moment. Whatever Lexi had been involved with, it was indeed serious and grave. People were getting killed over it. Merrick knew he couldn't let her be killed – Ajax wouldn't want to be seeing her this soon.


End file.
